Pat and Lorna Shanks

Unorganized and Overwhelmed? What's the Real Cost of Not Having it Together?

Are you overwhelmed… drowning in a flood of online contacts and information? Yep! Like most people operating a business online, you are bombarded with "stuff" every day; and if you are unorganized, anything of value just floats away with all of the garbage.

What does this mean to you and your audience?

It means that you cannot connect with and reach people who could really benefit from your message and what you have to offer. And… you miss out on a lot of information, that added to your knowledge base could make a huge impact in your customers' lives.

So not only do you and your business miss out on an opportunity to grow and move forward, you are cheating a lot of other people out of an opportunity to learn, grow and move forward as well.

How do you get it all together? Find a way to organize it all that makes sense to you and in a format where you can find things and take action on them.

For an example of the system we use to make the most of everything online… Go Here!

You owe it to the world to share your passion and expertise… but if people can't connect with you… and you lose the information that's valuable to them… you are falling short in the potential you have to make a difference in peoples' lives.

About the Authors

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Pat and Lorna Shanks deliver the "COOL" Goods and connections to "COOL" People. They provide tips, tools, education and informative sessions with knowledgeable people that enable entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners to attract more clients and make more money. For more "COOL" tips, tools, knowledge and people, go to www.TheCoolestCouple.com or follow us on Twitter.

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Filed Under: Cool Knowledge, Pat and Lorna Shanks Tagged With: Contacts, Information, Message, Organize, Overwhelm, Unorganized

Are You Really Stuck, or do You Just Believe You Are?

By Pat & Lorna 10 Comments

Have you ever gotten to a point where you feel you've done all you can and no matter what, you'll never grow further or reach your goals? You've told yourself you really want to get there, but you've consciously or sub-consciously told yourself that although you want it, you don't have a hope in heck of getting it.

So… let's discuss making things happen, amazing support and how important mindset really is.

I (Lorna) entered a Figures Competition (like bodybuilding – with a little less muscle definition) last year. I committed to the training and the diet (death by chicken) and entered in a competition. I placed fourth in one of the classes, which I felt was absolutely fantastic! So, I thought to myself… that's probably about as high as I'll ever get… the other girls had more time, trainers, nutritionists, were younger, blah, blah, blah… basically, plain old excuses.

But, because I did have a lot of fun, and it was a phenomenal experience… I entered another competition this spring.

I trained even harder (never thought that was possible) committed to the diet again, and used a lot of visualization and awareness to get back into competition form. It paid off, as I placed third in one of the classes!

Very Cool! And the coolest part of it was the amazing support I got from my sweetheart, Pat. He was with me the whole way… and voiced that support while he was in the audience at the competition for all to hear. I'm pretty sure the audience appreciated how much he supported me as well. Watch and listen to this very cool moment…

So do I now believe I can still grow further and win a competition? Most definitely! It brings awareness to this question: what are my limiting beliefs, what is it I believe that is preventing me from experiencing other amazing things in my life?

Once again I had a lot of fun… and the third-place finish was like icing on the cake. Being that I started competing a little later than most (49) I thought I wouldn't even come close to fitting in with the "seasoned pros". A limiting belief, that once I moved past, allowed me to grow, improve and get a whole new perspective on being committed to making it happen.

In Alberta the association that holds these competitions is the Alberta Bodybuilding Association they are a class act all the way and are run like most associations with volunteers. Here are the 2011 Northern Alberta Championship Results and I placed third in Masters 45+.

The other competitors were all friendly, helpful, supportive, nervous and very hungry

Some big learning experiences for me were:

1) Sharing a common goal and journey with others is very COOL
2) There are no egos backstage
3) Everyone has their own way of achieving their goals and dreams
4) The volunteers are amazing
5) Even though the event is a "Judged" event, I entered for the experience and for my growth

Buried in the Information Avalanche – Do You Have a Beacon?

By Pat & Lorna 1 Comment

Do you get an insane amount of information and contacts coming at you on a daily basis? We’re pretty sure you do. It seems that anyone who is online today is under an extreme amount of overwhelm when it comes to the sheer quantity of “stuff” they’re continually exposed to.

The thing is, a lot of this information and the contacts you have are important to your business (some of it is vital). By connecting with organizational clarity to the contacts, information and knowledge you have, it can enable you to focus on critical tasks. These are the tasks you need to do to maintain your relationships with your prospects and clients and generate the revenue you need to grow your business and help more people.

The problems?

• Overwhelm from the sheer amount of information coming at you on a daily basis.
• Having a huge amount of critical information inside your head that you just don’t know where to download.
• Lack of clarity. It all just seems like a collage of “stuff” that you can’t find, make use of, or implement.
• Not having a trusted system that can help solve all of the above challenges.

The solution?

• It boils down to this plain and simple thing: Have and use a trusted system where you can store all your information and contacts in a way that your brain naturally connects to.

To check out the totally Cool Tool we use to organize all our contacts and information, Go Here!

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Filed Under: Cool Knowledge, Pat and Lorna Shanks Tagged With: Contacts, Information, Overwhelm, System, The Brain

You Plan and Organize – After That It's All About Customer Service

By Pat & Lorna 10 Comments

You make business plans and preparations… you outline what you're going to deliver to your audience and how. Then you follow through and actually do it. You provide something of value to your customers, something that will make their lives better.

However, even with the best-laid plans and most thorough organization… things can still happen that affect the perfect outcome or delivery of your business product or service.

So what do you do?

What you do after things don't go quite as planned has a huge impact on how your business does as a whole. People will understand that things don't always go as planned, and sometimes there are "hiccups" in business. And they will remain a loyal customer IF you handle these challenges with them in mind.

The best way to figure out how to get past the challenges and keep your customers, is to actually ask them, "How can we make this right for you?". Listen to what they say… and unless it is a totally impossible or outrageous request… make it happen for them.

People want to be heard. If they know you are listening, and actually care about what they are saying, there is a great chance they'll become and remain a loyal customer.

"Customer Service"… two words, huge meaning… especially to your customers.

About the Authors

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BTW - Check out the new Facebook Like Button just below. Click on it to share with your friends.

Filed Under: Cool Knowledge, Pat and Lorna Shanks Tagged With: Business, Customer Service, Organization, Plans

What Has Your Focus and Concentration?

By Pat & Lorna 8 Comments

The past. It's what has already happened… you have no control over it. You can't change the past. If you spend time thinking about the past, it has your focus and concentration.

The future. Thinking and hoping about what may happen, or what you want to happen, gives the future your focus and concentration.

What does this steal from you? It steals the opportunity to be present, in the here and now. The only thing you can control is what you do and how you feel now. By giving your focus to living in the moment, in THIS moment, you have choices… and the opportunity to be amazed at what you can accomplish!

Enjoy this moment below